I Understand
by IThinkGazzyIsCuteAsAButton
Summary: Annie Cresta's dad gets lost at sea. All she needed was a friend that understood. She got way more than that. FinnickxAnnie  Chapter 2 is up
1. Friends

**AN: **I was just reading random Hunger Games FanFics when I noticed there really weren't many about Annie and Finnick… and the ones there are -for the most part- oneshots. So I decided to tell their story! Here it is…

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Friends<strong>

_Annie, age 10 _**(Annie and Finnick are the same age BTW)**

10 minutes. That's how long it took me to make my first actual friend. Confused? Then let's back up a bit.

"So those are the different types of hooks. Any questions?" my teacher asked. Just then the principal came running in. He motioned for the teacher to come over and listen. He whispered something in her ear and her smile immediately turned into a frown.

"oh… um… Class, listen up." she announced. When she had all of our attention, she began again, "We have some news… uh… fishing boat number ten was… lost… in the storm last night…" It took a while for it to sink in. _Fishing Boat Ten. My Dad's boat. He left only yesterday. Now he will never return._

I bolted up in my seat, as did a boy on the opposite side of the room, the one with the muted red hair. It seems we both had the same idea. We ran. I had no idea where I was going. I didn't check to see if the red-head was following me. I just ran. About half way across the school yard, I collapsed. And I cried.

That went on for what seemed like days, but was probably only about a minute or so.

"Your dad?" I heard. Frightened by the voice, I turned around to find the boy, his face red and streaked with tears. I simply nodded.

"Your's too?" He also nodded. We sat there in silence for a while. I don't even know how long. Then he did something unexpected. He threw his arms around me. I didn't even know his name! But I returned the favor. I could feel his tears running down my back, as I soaked his shirt with my own.

He pulled back suddenly and held out his hand. "I'm Finnick," he stated.

"Annie, " I choked out as I grabbed his hand and shook it.

"He was all I had, my dad. My mom died when I was five. I'm an only child. They're going to send me to live with some stranger." I was speechless. I was here feeling sorry for myself, while this poor boy was _way_ worse off than I was. At least I still had my mom. Finnick had nobody. Nothing.

It was my turn to put my arms around him. To comfort him. He needed it way more than I did. "Do you have any friends you could move in with?" I ask. I am curious to find out more about this boy, Finnick. He's like a mystery, and I just can't stand not knowing. Finnick simply shook his head. I raise my eyebrows. "No friends at all?" I ask again.

"Nope. I'm kind of a lone wolf."

"Me too." Now it's his turn to be shocked. "What?"

"Um… I just thought, you know, a girl like you…"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind… So uh, do you, um, maybe want to, uh, be lone wolfs, like, together? You know, because there's strength in numbers…"

"You just met me, and you're asking to be friends." It was more of a statement than a question.

"You don't have to. I just thought-"

"Yeah. I'll be your friend Finnick." He smiled. "Under one condition." He looked up, confused. Whoops. It came out a lot more harshly than I intended it to be. I smile and say, "You let my mom and I take you in."

He copied my tone from earlier. "You just met me, and you're asking me to move in with you?" We giggled. "I will."

I hug him again. That all happened in ten minutes. That's how long it took for me to make my first friend. No one came for us, so we decided to take the rest of the day off and get the okay from my mom. She's probably still torn apart by the news about my dad, but she has a good heart. Especially for orphans.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>So what do you think? Please review! Next chapter, we'll have a bit of a time warp, so if you wanna give me any ideas, feel free!

Till Next Time,

ITGICAAB


	2. More than that

**AN: **I'd like to thank my first reviewer, **CherryBomb337**, just because I enjoy reviews, and they were first, so CherryBomb337, here's the chapter you were waiting for(:

READ AND REVIEW PEOPLE!

**Chapter 2: More than that**

_Finnick, Age 12_

"Finnick! Breakfast!" yelled Mrs. Cresta.

"Coming!" I yelled back. I quickly put on some shorts and a tshirt and jog toward the kitchen. Annie is already up.

"Morning, Finn." she says, as she hands me a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Being one of the wealthier families in one of the wealthier districts, we eat pretty well. I can't imagine living in district 11 or 12, where I'd have to search for my food.

"Morning, Annie." I say. She smiles and goes back to the counter to make her plate. Her and her mother both sit down at the table on either side of me and we begin to eat. We don't talk as much as usual, but there's a good reason. Today is Annie and I's first reaping.

Annie decides to break the silence. "Hey Finnick, you want to go down to the beach later?" I take that as, _I need to talk to you._ _Let's go somewhere nobody else can hear us. _

"How about right after breakfast?" I ask. She nods. I can tell something's bothering her, and that bothers me. I think of Annie and her mom as my family. After all, they gave me a place to stay, food on my plate, a _FAMILY_. The kids at school call me and Annie best friends. They're wrong. Annie is so much more than that. I can't even describe it. It's almost as if she's my savior. She gave me hope when I had none. I know I can never repay her, but I can at least try, right?

I finish my breakfast, help Mrs. Cresta wash the dishes, and head out with Annie by my side. We walk in silence until we reach the beach. It's the only place that we can speak our minds, be carefree.

"I'm worried for you." she whispers.

"What? Why?"

"Because of the reaping! I'm afraid you're going to get called and then no one's going to volunteer and then knowing you, you're so sweet, you'll go and get yourself killed to save someone's life and then-"

"Annie, my name's only in there once. So is your's. We're going to be fine." I say as I pull her into a hug. She's got a right to be worried. District 4 is a Career District, but not everyone trains to volunteer, and if nobody's ready to volunteer, they'd leave whoever's up there to go into the games.

"I just can't lose you, Finn." She said. Just then, a bell rang, signaling 10:00. The reaping was at 11:00.

"We better go get ready."

As we walked back home, I thought about how much my life has changed in the past few years. Since Annie discovered me. _Since my dad died_.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. Annie quickly noticed and wiped it away with her thumb. "You know, yesterday at school, someone asked me where my friend was. I had no idea who they where talking about. They said 'you know, that guy you always hang out with' and it finally struck me that they were talking about you. The strange thing about it is that I didn't know it until then. But I realized that that you're not my friend, Finnick."** (AN: This is nothing romantic… **_**yet…**_**)**

I was confused. Did she just tell me that we aren't friends? Why would she invite me to live with her if we weren't friends?

"You're so much more than that." She kissed my cheek. "Don't get picked," she whispered, barely audible.

"I'll try my best," I replied.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Fortunately neither me nor Annie got picked. What really bothered me was what Annie had said. _You're so much more than that. _I spent the rest of the day, well, the parts that I wasn't constantly worrying about Annie's safety, wondering what she meant.

**AN:** So there you go folks! If you can just remember that there is nothing romantic going on between them yet, you'll understand the story better. I HOPE FOR MORE REVIEWS THIS TIME! PLEASE!


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